Popular aviation-themed clothing brand Aviatsiya Halychyny fundraising for military training jet
Popular Ukrainian clothing brand Aviatsiya Halychyny (Galician Aviation) is more than halfway through its fundraising campaign to purchase a L-39ZA/ART Albatross training/close air support jet for the Ukrainian Air Force.
The company has raised UAH 17 million ($460,000) of 32 needed ($870,000), it announced on Instagram on June 13.
Launched nearly a decade ago with an aviation theme, brand founder Yurko Nazarchuk announced #buymeafighterjet joint initiative with Ukrainian military pilots aimed to purchase a Western version of Aero L-39 Albatros jet.
Working with military pilots, the brand took nearly a year before deciding on the Czech training jet. After finalizing paperwork, Aviatsiya Halychyny is finally ready to announce its chosen fighter jet.
The jet will be an L-39ZA/ART light fighter jet equipped with Israeli avionics and a 23-millimeter cannon.
Aviatsiya Halychyny explained on its site why this model was chosen.
- All Ukrainian fighter pilots are familiar with it (its training version is in Ukrainian Air Force service).
- It has Ukrainian engines that can be easily repaired and maintenaned by Ukrainian technical crews.
- The jet can be equipped with the Western weapons provided by Ukraine's partner nations.
- It can effectively protect the sky and shoot down enemy drones (with relatively cheaper operational capacity).
- It has modernized navigation and fire-control systems close to NATO standards, so the L-39ZA/ART can be used as a training aircraft before transitioning to a F-16.
"We realize that this aircraft will not change the course of the war overnight, but it will be the first step towards the transition to Western aircraft," Aviatsiya Halychyny said.
The campaign aims to raise UAH 32 million ($870,000). Click on this link if you want to support this fundraising campaign.
The brand has also released a new T-shirt look dedicated to the L-39ZA/ART aircraft fundraising campaign. Half of the price of every T-shirt sold goes toward this campaign.
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